The present invention relates to a seat device for a vehicle, in which there are provided a front-row seat and a rear-row seat in a cabin which includes an ingress and egress opening at a side face.
Conventionally, for example, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 03-235729, it is known that a middle-row seat located between a front-row seat and a rear-row seat is removed at need so as to provide a large space between the seats in a so-called one-box type of vehicle or the like, in which the rear-row (rear) seat is moved forward along a lower rail with its seat cushion being located in a sitting position, while the rear-row seat with its seat cushion being rotated upward is moved forward to form a wide load space behind the cabin.
Also, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,605,368, a seat slide device of an automotive vehicle is known, in which a movement range of a first-rear-row seat and a second-rear-row seat, which are supported so as to be moved in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle along a rail member, is enlarged so as to increase the seat arrangement patterns, by locating seat backs of the first-rear-row and second-rear-row seats in their upright positions for sitting, in their rearward-reclined flat positions and in their forward-folded positions, respectively.
The above-described structure, as disclosed in the former patent publication, in which the middle-row seat located between the front-row seat and the rear-row seat is removed at need, has advantage of providing the large space between the front-row seat and the rear-row seat, while it has disadvantages that the removal of the middle-row seat would require somewhat complicated operations and a particular space for storing it, and also an operation for attaching the removed middle-row seat to the vehicle body would be necessary for using it again.
Meanwhile, the above-described structure, as disclosed in the latter patent publication, in which the first-rear-row seat is moved rearward closely to the font end of the second-rear-row seat, has advantage that a relatively large and useful space can be provided between the foremost driver seat or assistant seat and the first-rear-row seat and this space can be used properly. However, since the rearward-movement range of the first-rear-row seat is so limited by the front end portion of the second-rear-row seat that the first-rear-row could not be moved rearward further sufficiently, it would be required that the seat arrangement patterns of passenger seats is increased.